We all know from childhood about the dangers of mercury, and therefore always with extreme caution we try to treat mercury thermometers. But in life there is anything, and sometimes there are situations when such thermometers break.
At this moment, panic begins immediately, and even an adult person sometimes experiences a stupor before further actions. In order not to get confused and take the necessary steps as quickly as possible, let's try to figure out exactly how to behave in such a situation, how to clean your apartment of mercury residues, and what to do first if the thermometer broke.
What is dangerous broken thermometer?
The peculiarity of mercury lies in the fact that, hitting the surface, it is divided into many small balls, which "run" at high speed throughout the room. Without much effort, it penetrates into all sorts of cracks and cracks on the walls and the floor.
And its evaporation begins already at a temperature of 18 degrees. During the evaporative process, toxic substances are released into the air, while poisoning it. By harm they are classified as extremely dangerous.
Once in the human body, mercury provokes severe poisoning, while disrupting the work of the cardiovascular, central nervous systems and kidneys. Therefore, if you have a broken thermometer, in any case, do not ignore it and literally from the first minute, start to fix the problem.
The thermometer broke in the apartment: what to do?
If you are not sure that you can cope on your own, then it would be more correct to call the Emergencies Ministry specialists (number 01 or 112) and they will help you fix the problem.
In the event that you cannot call for help, follow these tips:
- First of all, do not panic and try to assess the situation as quickly as possible;
- From the room where the mercury thermometer crashed, remove all people and pets;
- Remember that mercury can easily stick to the soles and thus spread through all the rooms. Therefore, restrict access to the room with mercury and try yourself not to walk around the apartment;
- Open the windows in the room, but only if the temperature on the street is much lower. Thus, you will reduce the process of evaporation of mercury. Remember that no drafts should be allowed. They can disperse balls of mercury over a much larger area, and then its removal will become problematic. Therefore, make sure that all doors are closed;
- For high-quality collection of mercury, try to highlight the place where she got with a flashlight or lamp. The light should go to the side, then all the balls will be visible;
- Proceed to the immediate collection of mercury.
Collection of mercury on your own
Cleaning the room from mercury balls should be taken with the utmost seriousness. In this difficult matter, you will definitely need:
- a can of cold water that can be tightly closed with a lid;
- the most common brush with a minimum level of rigidity;
- sheet of paper or foil;
- disposable syringe (it can be replaced with a rubber bulb);
- scotch tape or adhesive plaster;
- manganese solution;
- rag.
Protect yourself before collecting mercury. To protect the skin from the ingress of mercury particles on it, use rubber gloves. And cover your nose with a gauze bandage soaked in water. A sheet of paper will serve as a scoop on which, with the help of a brush, you should roll up mercury balls.
Immediately place them in a jar of water or in a solution of potassium permanganate. Do not use a broom or a stiff brush. Thus, you can divide the mercury into smaller balls, and it will be much more difficult to collect them.
Small droplets of mercury are more convenient to collect with a syringe or a rubber bulb, drawing them in alternately. Well, the smallest clean with scotch tape.
According to some experts, copper or aluminum wire can help in the collection of mercury. With their help, you roll small balls into larger ones, and only then move them onto a sheet of paper. When the mercury has rolled into the cracks, fill it with sand, then sweep it away, it will be much easier.
In the event that the thermometer broke on the wooden floor, mercury particles can hide in the gaps between the boards. It is almost impossible to collect them from there. Unfortunately, the owner will need to change the floors to get rid of the insidious effects of mercury vapors.
It is very difficult to collect mercury from carpet nap. There will always be a chance that the cleaning did not go as it should. Therefore, it is better to immediately twist the carpet and in the future to abandon its use, passing it for recycling along with mercury residues.
Do not use a vacuum cleaner for cleaning mercury. Hot air will only accelerate the evaporation process. Plus, its particles will in any case remain on the details of the vacuum cleaner and every time you do cleaning with it, you will add toxic substances to the air.
Collected mercury is placed in a jar, and tightly close it with a lid. Do not hold the jar near heated objects.
How to properly treat the apartment after collecting mercury
Removing all the particles of toxic metal, it is imperative to process the room where the thermometer was broken. Initially, open all windows in the room and provide air for 3-4 hours.
Treat all wood and metal surfaces with soda-soap solution. To prepare it, dilute 50 grams of rubbed soap in one liter of warm water and add as much soda.
Wipe all surfaces thoroughly and leave the room for two hours. This procedure will need to be performed regularly for several days. Also do wet cleaning and air the room as often as possible.
Disinfection can be performed using the "Whiteness". In a plastic bucket, dilute a liter of "Whiteness" and 5 liters of cool water. Wash all surfaces thoroughly with this solution. Pay special attention to corners and various cracks and cracks.
Wait 20 minutes and rinse everything again with clean water. Repeat this cleaning a few more times over the course of several weeks. Also regularly ventilate the room, and if possible, leave the window open for a long time.
What to do if a mercury thermometer broke a child
Do not scold the baby in any case, if he accidentally broke a mercury thermometer. The child may be frightened and hide his remains somewhere in his room.
Mercury vapor has no odor and will cause irreparable harm to your health and the health of your baby.
It would be better if the child immediately confesses to the deed of action, and you will immediately begin to deal with the consequences.
Symptoms of poisoning and first aid
Mercury poisoning can be both acute and chronic. If poisonous mercury vapors remain in the room, but they do not significantly exceed the MPC, then chronic poisoning will be observed.
A person can breathe in such pairs for months, and sometimes even for years. Acute poisoning occurs when a large number of poisons in the air, and contact with them can be short.
Among the main symptoms of poisoning are the following:
- Severe dizziness;
- Fast fatiguability;
- Drowsiness;
- The appearance of pain in the head;
- The emergence of apathy;
- Unusual appearance of irritability;
- General malaise;
- Distraction and memory impairment;
- Deterioration of receptor activity;
- Frequent urination;
- Excessive sweating;
- Differential blood pressure;
- Thyroid problems;
- The deterioration of the heart.
When the first symptoms of poisoning appear, you should immediately seek the help of specialists.
First aid for mercury poisoning:
- Be sure to take the victim to fresh air. If he feels very bad and cannot move independently, use a stretcher;
- Wash the stomach, letting it drink activated carbon and a large amount of liquid. Try to induce a gag reflex to remove toxins from the body as quickly as possible;
- If possible, give the patient water with egg yolk and sulfur impurities. Sulfur neutralizes mercury and turns it into non-toxic particles that are released naturally;
- Inject the solution with glucose or calcium chloride.
All subsequent assistance should provide physicians. Therefore, immediately call an ambulance.
Disposal of a broken thermometer
Remember that throwing away the fragments of a broken thermometer and collected mercury in the garbage chute or elsewhere in any case is impossible. Place the mercury in a tightly closed jar, and collect the remains of a thermometer and package it tightly.
Do the same with things that could get poisonous substances. Mercury must be disposed of. To do this, you need to call the Ministry of Emergency Situations and there will be prompted where to hand over its remnants. Or maybe the employees themselves will come to pick them up.
What categorically can not be done if the mercury thermometer broke in the apartment
- Do not attempt to collect mercury with a rag. The result will not bring any, but you will increase the area of pollution;
- Do not vacuum clean. Hot air will accelerate the evaporation of toxic substances;
- Do not dispose of mercury in landfills or garbage disposal, do not flush into the sewer;
- Do not scatter mercury balls with a broom;
- If you have soiled mercury items or toys, do not need to wash them in the washing machine. They must also be disposed of;
- Avoid drafts during the collection of mercury balls, otherwise you can increase the area of their distribution.
Question answer
Who is not advisable to clean the mercury?
Try to limit access to cleaning for liquid metal to children under 18, also to older people, pregnant women and those who have any pathology.
What to do if mercury gets on hot items? Is it possible to do their own cleaning?
As we have already found out, the evaporation of this metal begins at a temperature of 18 degrees, and at 40 - the process of boiling begins. Therefore, you must close the room tightly and immediately call the Emergency Situations Ministry. Do not clean yourself, otherwise you will get severe poisoning.
What to do if a child swallowed a piece of mercury?
Immediately call the doctors. In no case should it remain in the body. Doctors will take measures to neutralize it.
What to do if, unknowingly, they still collected mercury with a vacuum cleaner?
This is one of the common mistakes that is made quite often. In this case, you should try to check the room for residues of mercury and collect it according to the algorithm provided. Be sure to ventilate the room.
In the vacuum cleaner itself, its particles will also be stored, so the bag, filter and hose must be removed and recycled.
Put the rest of the vacuum cleaner in the open air and weather for several months.
If a child has washed mercury down the drain, can it further poison the indoor air?
By itself, it is much heavier than water, so it will sink down and leave with sewage. If there are knees, you need to remove them and carefully check.
If balls of metal are found there, put them in a solution of potassium permanganate, then return for recycling. But remember that it is forbidden to flush mercury specifically, because it does not dissolve and can cause no less harm elsewhere.
What to do if mercury particles get on clothes?
Pack contaminated items in a plastic bag and take them to the open air. The balcony room will not be suitable for this, as you will regularly go out there and inhale the evaporating vapors. It is better to send her to the cottage and place it somewhere in the attic.
Let it erode there for several months, after which things will need to be washed 3-4 times in a soap-soda solution. If things are not expensive, it is better to abandon their further wearing.
Precautions when handling a thermometer
- Today, there are alternatives to mercury thermometers, so it is better to replace them with electronic or infrared models;
- When you measure the temperature of children, press their hand tightly;
- Forbid children from playing with the thermometer, and generally try not to even give them a hand;
- Indications knock down gently, as far as possible from all sorts of objects;
- Keep in a dedicated case, as far as possible from children.
If the thermometer still broke, remove the remnants of mercury, following all the recommendations.
The most important thing - do not ignore the situation with a broken thermometer and take care of your health and people close to you.
In the next video - tips on how to collect mercury, if a mercury thermometer broke.
